I Want It That Way
by ocfanatic2013
Summary: Santana and Rachel are in love in New York. Give it a chance, please! : As always, rated T, just in case
1. Chapter 1

**Rachel Berry** and her girlfriend of three years **Santana Lopez** were jogging around their neighborhood as they did every morning before going to their respective colleges. Santana, a senior at Columbia University, and Rachel, a senior at Julliard, had moved in together after a year of dating and it had been amazing so far. They'd gone to high school together, but had absolutely hated each other. But during their sophomore year of college, they ran into each other at a club and a few catch up coffee dates turned into a few romantic dinner dates which turned into a relationship. Rachel absolutely loved how much Santana had changed since high school. Apparently all it had took was for her to open up about her sexuality and she became the nice, caring person that only Brittany got to witness.

"Are you getting tired, babe?" Rachel looked over and smiled at her girlfriend, knowing that behind the dark sunglasses the girl was sporting was a pair of love-filled eyes that were anxiously waiting for Rachel's answer so they could know whether or not they needed to have worry in them. She held up her index finger, silently telling the girl to wait for a second while she surveyed where they were. She realized that they were near a point where they could rest for a few minutes, as they'd been running for close to an hour and a half straight. One of the things that Rachel loved about their relationship was the fact that they pushed each other and, despite the fact that Santana had been a Cheerio, both girls were in the best shape they'd ever been in. Rachel had convinced Santana that she didn't need to maintain that crazy diet Coach Sylvester had had her on as a Cheerio and Santana convinced Rachel that there are _some _benefits to eating meat.

"I could go for a water bottle." Rachel said, smiling up at the Latina woman who was now jogging in place. Santana smiled and nodded as they ran to the nearest restaurant/convience store. They immediately went to the drink section, grabbed two water bottles, and paid for them before going to sit at one of the small tables outside. Rachel grinned as Santana moved her chair closer to Rachel's and laid her head on the smaller girl's arm.

"Hi." Santana whispered. Rachel chuckled, rolled her eyes, and kissed the top of the former cheerleader's head.

"Hello." she said, laughing softly.

"You're pretty." Santana said. Rachel smiled.

"You're all right." she teased. Santana sat up in horror, causing Rachel to laugh. "I'm just kidding, my love." she said, kissing the Latina. Santana smiled and played with the collar of Rachel's blue Nike jacket. Rachel turned her head away as Santana began to kiss her neck. "San... San, baby, we have to get back to the house. We're running late and we have class." she said, giggling. Santana sighed, but pulled away.

"Fine... But you so owe me, little girl." she said with a wink as she stood up. She helped Rachel up before pulling her into a hug. "You know I love you, right?" she whispered. Rachel smiled and hugged the Latina back.

"Yea... I love you too, Santana." she said, pulling away. She kissed her girlfriend's cheek once more before taking off in the direction of their house.

* * *

><p>"That was a really good run." Rachel commented as they entered their house. Santana grinned and went up behind Rachel, wrapping her arms around her waist.<p>

"Yea, it was." she whispered, kissing the diva's neck.

"San, I'm all sweaty." Rachel said, trying to pull away.

"So am I, let's go take a shower." Santana said with a suggestive smirk. She watched as Rachel's eyes dialated.

"What time is it?"

"Eight. Your first class is at eleven, right?" Rachel nodded and Santana pulled her into their master bathroom. Rachel grinned as Santana closed the door and turned around. "Damn, we should have tried this in high school." she said just as she kissed her. Rachel smiled into the kiss as Santana began slowly pulling the zipper on Rachel's jacket down. "Mmm... I love you." Santana whispered.

"I love you too."

* * *

><p>Santana was just finishing up straightening her hair when Rachel poked her head into the bathroom. "Hey, I'm going to go ahead and go." Rachel said. Santana smiled and nodded as Rachel turned to leave.<p>

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, _whoa_. Back it on up little girl." Rachel raised an eyebrow and turned around. Santana motioned for her to walk over to her and kissed her once she did. "Bye." she whispered, pulling away and resting her forehead on Rachel's.

"I love you." Rachel breathed. Santana grinned.

"I love you too." she said. Rachel smiled and pulled away completely. "I'll see you later, okay?" Rachel nodded and left their house. "I love you, Rachel Berry." Santana smiled to herself. Suddenly, she heard gunshots. "Berry." she whispered, dropping her straightener and running toward the front of the house. She saw Rachel crouched next to the wall and slid in next to her. "Baby, are you okay?" she whispered as she covered Rachel's body.

"I'm okay." Rachel whispered as Santana pulled them into a corner, using herself to shield Rachel from whatever might happen. "I love you. So much." Rachel said. Santana nodded and kissed the girl quickly.

"I love you too. But you have to be quiet, okay?" Santana asked. Rachel nodded and buried her face in the Latina's shoulder.

* * *

><p><strong>TO BE CONTINUED...<strong>

**A/N: LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK. SHOULD I CONTINUE?**


	2. Chapter 2

"Rach... Its going to be okay, I promise." Santana said as they heard sirens. Rachel nodded and Santana slowly went to go check. "It looks safe. No one looks hurt. I think this was just some sort of prank."

"That's a pretty messed up prank." Rachel said. Santana nodded in agreement as their doorbell rang.

"Hi Detective." Santana said, addressing one of her professors that also worked for NYPD.

"Ms. Lopez. You live here?" She nodded. "Are you okay?"

"Yea... We're both fine."

"We?"

"I live here with my girlfriend Rachel." she explained. Her professor nodded.

"Do you know what happened?" As Rachel listened to Santana talk, she thought back to the begining of their relationship.

* * *

><p><em>Ninteen year old Santana whipped around when she felt someone bump into her. "Watch where you're goin... Berry?" The smaller girl stared up at her in shock.<em>

_"Santana... what are you doing here?" she asked._

_"This is more my scene than yours. What are you doing here?" Santana asked. Rachel shrugged._

_"Some of my friends wanted to come, so I tagged along." she said. Santana nodded. "Its strange that we'd run into each other here, don't you think?" Rachel asked. Santana sighed and nodded. "How have you been?"_

_"Do you want to get out of here and go get some coffee or something?" Santana asked, not really wanting to explain to her friends who this girl was. Rachel smiled and nodded. Santana lead the diva out of the club and to the nearest coffee shop. "I've been good." she said, answering Rachel's earlier question. Rachel smiled._

_"You're at Columbia, right?" Santana nodded. "What are you studying?"_

_"Criminal Justice." she said, shrugging shyly. Rachel nodded._

_"That sounds like a good fit, especially considering the way you set up the Bully Whips to help out Kurt." she said. Santana ducked her head. "Its nothing to be ashamed of, Santana. I actually admire that. It was really great the way you helped him."_

_"Kurt's a cool guy. He didn't deserve what those jackasses did to him." Santana said. Rachel smiled. "So how's Julliard?" she asked._

_"Its amazing. I really feel like that's where I belong. I really fit in there." Rachel said, blushing. _

_"Everyone always knew you'd make it. That's why they picked on you so much." Santana said softly. Rachel smiled shyly. _

_"Even you?" Santana nodded. "But you were always saying you were so much better than me."_

_"You don't see me at Julliard, do you? You're the one who made it, Berry. No one else." Santana said. _

_"Columbia is still a pretty big deal." Rachel argued._

_"That's not my point. I'm talking about singing." Santana said. Rachel smiled before she noticed that the shop was closing. "Uh... I have to go. I have a class at eleven and its getting late. Would you want to meet up sometime soon?" Santana asked. Rachel nodded. "What are you doing at eight tomorrow?" _

_"Nothing." Santana pulled out her phone. _

_"Is your number still the same?" she asked. Rachel nodded. __"Cool. I'll text you. We can meet here again, if you want." _

_"Sure. See you tomorrow." Rachel said, smiling. Santana smiled back._

_"Bye, Berry." she said._

* * *

><p><em>The next morning, Santana sat at the exact same table, waiting for the diva. "I got what you ordered last night." she said, smiling as the girl appeared in front of her.<em>

_"You didn't have to do that." Rachel said. Santana shrugged. _

_"Its no big deal. The line is even longer than when I got here. I didn't want you to have to stand in that." she said. Rachel smiled gratefully before sitting down. _

_"Thank you." she said, sipping the drink. Santana nodded._

_"So... How's Finnocence?" she asked casually. Rachel shrugged._

_"I haven't spoken to him since graduation when I broke up with him." she answered. Santana raised an eyebrow._

_"I can honestly say that I didn't see that one coming." she said. Rachel shrugged._

_"He wanted different things than I did." she said. Santana nodded._

_"I can respect that." she said. Rachel smiled. "This has been kind of nice. I haven't really talked to anyone from Lima since I moved here. Britt and I broke up after graduation." she said. Rachel nodded._

_"I heard about that... I'm sorry."_

_"Its whatever. I've moved on." Santana said, smiling at Rachel before looking at her watch. "Crap... Its going to take me awhile to get to campus... I don't want to go though." she admitted. Rachel blushed. "Why don't you come over to my apartment tonight? I... I'll cook something. Are you still vegan?" Rachel shook her head._

_"Its hard to be a vegan college student." she said. Santana nodded. _

_"I'll text you my address later. See you tonight at seven?" Rachel nodded and Santana grinned. "Great. See you later." she said, walking out of the shop._

* * *

><p><em>Rachel knocked on Santana's apartment door and could hear the Latina cursing in Spanish before opening the door. "Hey." Santana said, putting on a frustrated smile.<em>

_"Are you okay?" Rachel asked. Santana nodded. _

_"I went to get ready while the food was cooking, but got distracted and dinner kind of burned... Don't worry, though. I have this deli down the street on speed dial." she said. Rachel smiled._

_"If it helps, you look amazing." she said. Santana grinned and let the diva in._

_"So do you." she said, leading her into the living room. _

_"I like your apartment, Santana." Rachel said after Santana ordered their dinner._

_"Thanks. Do you want to watch a movie or something?" Rachel nodded and they picked out a movie together. "So..."_

_"So..." Rachel said. Santana blushed. "What?"_

_"Nothing. You're just nothing like I remember. Its a good thing, I promise." Santana said. Rachel smiled softly. _

_"You seem a lot more..."_

_"Nice?" Santana guessed with a smile. Rachel laughed and Santana couldn't help it. She leaned in and connected their lips. "Whoa." Santana whispered when they broke apart._

_"Yea... Whoa." Rachel echoed softly. _

_"That was... unexpected." Santana said. Rachel nodded. _

_"Would you want to do it again?" she asked carefully. Santana met her eyes and nodded as Rachel kissed her again. They only broke apart when they heard a knock on Santana's door. _

_"I'm just going to... Go get the food." the Latina said, standing up. Rachel nodded absently. "Are you okay?" Santana asked. Rachel looked up and gave her a smile. "Cool. I'll be right back." she said, going to answer her door._

_"Santana what was that?" Rachel asked when she returned._

_"I don't really know... But I don't want it to stop." Santana answered._

* * *

><p><em>"Santana, this is the third night you've invited me over to try you're cooking. The past two have ended up with us eating take out... Am I ever going to get to find out if you can actually cook?" Rachel teased. Santana glared at the diva. <em>

_"Its not my fault I get distracted. The second time was your fault, by the way. You're the one who kissed me as soon as you got here." she said. Rachel smiled. "And yes you are. I cooked this earlier so I wouldn't get distracted. Its already on the table. Hurry before it gets cold." Santana said, sneaking in one kiss. Rachel walked into the dining room and gasped. Santana had obviously taken a lot of care in making the appearance of the room very romantic._

_"Santana..."_

_"Do you like it?" the Latina asked. Rachel nodded. "Good, because I kind of have a question for you." she said. _

_"What?"_

_"Will you be my girlfriend?" Santana whispered nervously. Rachel smiled._

_"You want me to be your girlfriend?" she asked. _

_"Why wouldn't I?" Santana asked, smiling at the diva. Rachel blushed._

_"Of course I'll be your girlfriend." she said, kissing the Latina._

* * *

><p><em>"You want me to meet your friends?" Rachel asked the next day. Santana nodded. <em>

_"You're my girlfriend. Of course I do. Its nothing formal. Just a dinner party at my place. I'll be there the entire time, I promise." she said gently, kissing the diva. Rachel smiled and nodded._

_"Okay. I'll come." she said. That night, she was knocking on Santana's door. "Hey." she said when her girlfriend answered. _

_"Hi." Santana said, smiling at the diva before grabbing her hand and pulling her into the apartment. "Guys, this is Rachel, my girlfriend. Rach, these are my friends, Mitch, Ross, Todd, Bobby, Emma, Erin, and Mindy." Santana said. Rachel smiled shyly._

_"Aw... She's shy Lopez." Emma said. Santana glared at her friend before wrapping an arm around Rachel's waist. _

_"Back off." she said, kissing the side of Rachel's head. "You okay?" she whispered. Rachel nodded and allowed Santana to pull her over to the couch._

* * *

><p><em>"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Santana asked after everyone left. Rachel smiled. "I know Emma was a bitch tonight, but it has nothing to do with you... Well it kind of does. She's liked me for awhile, but I'm not interested in her."<em>

_"It was fine. I had you there." Rachel said. Santana grinned as Rachel hugged her. "Thank you for inviting me. It meant a lot."_

_"No problem Rach. Can you stay a little bit or do you have to go?" Santana asked. _

_"I can stay for a bit." Rachel said, smiling as Santana's face lit up._

* * *

><p>"Rach, you okay?" Santana asked after they were questioned by the police. Rachel nodded and hugged her girlfriend. "Its okay baby. I love you."<p>

"I love you too. I was just so scared."

"I know. I was too. Do you want to move?" Santana asked. Rachel shook her head.

"No... This is a relatively safe neighborhood. There's a possibility of danger anywhere you go." she said. Santana nodded and kissed the diva.

"I just want you to feel safe."

"As long as I'm with you, I do." Rachel answered, kissing the Latina she'd fallen in love with three years ago and planned to love for the rest of her life.


	3. Chapter 3

Santana looked up as she felt a new presence at the bar. She worked as a bartender at club she used to frequent before she realized that college was about more than partying and hooking up. Meaning... when Rachel knocked some sense into her. She had good grades her freshman year, but she was now embarrassed by the amount of parties and clubs she had went to before she focused on her schoolwork.

It was actually the club she and Rachel had reconnected at and from her spot behind the bar she could easily see the exact spot too. She smiled sometimes when she looked over and saw it. That was like the spot where their relationship had began and that relationship was the most important thing in the world to her. It was worth more than any high-paying job, any degree, or any amount of money could ever mean to her.

Speaking of Rachel...

"I thought I told you to stay at home tonight. You're still shook up." Santana said in lieu of a greeting.

"Home? You mean the place where we experienced a fake drive by? Yea, I wasn't staying there by myself." Rachel said dryly. Santana sighed.

"Rach, I asked you if you felt safe enough for me to go to work and you said yes." she said.

"I thought I did!" Rachel said.

"Well, I can't leave now and you have an early class, so you can't stay up late." Santana pointed out. Rachel shrugged. "Did you call Puck or Mike?"

"No, they'll just be worried about us." Rachel said as someone approached the bar.

"What can I get you?" Santana asked.

"A beer and your number." the guy said. Rachel had to hold back a sigh. She knew Santana flirted with her customers to get extra tips. She didn't like it, but there were some benefits to dating a "fake whore" as Santana liked to call it, one of them being the 'I'm sorry I flirt with other people for extra tips' smartphone Santana bought her after working there for two weeks.

"I can get you the beer, but how about you give me your number instead?" Santana asked with a wink.

"Why's that?"

"The chase makes it more exciting for me." she said, letting her fingers graze his as she handed him the bottle. He grabbed a pen and piece of paper and handed it to her before dropping a twenty in the tip jar. "Thanks." she said, with another wink as he walked off.

"What do you do with all of those numbers?" Rachel asked. Santana raised an amused eyebrow.

"Why? Jealous?" she asked, smirking. Rachel rolled her eyes. "We keep a box under the bar for them. Most of them are mine." she said, putting the latest addition in the box. Rachel laughed. "You're obviously not leaving... Do you want me to make you something to drink?" Santana asked. Rachel smiled and shook her head.

"Just a water bottle." she said, kissing her girlfriend.

"So you're kissing customers now, huh Lopez?" Santana suppressed a sigh and looked to her left to see a blonde.

"How can I help you Trinity?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Come on, you've been playing hard to get for three months now. Claiming you have a girlfriend..." the blonde scoffed. "Obviously that's over so come home with me tonight." Santana rolled her eyes.

"Trinity, this is my girlfriend, Rachel." she said. The blonde glanced at the diva and laughed.

_"Her?"_

"Your ass is about to be kicked out." Santana hissed, narrowing her eyes at the girl. "She's my girlfriend and you'll be nice to her or I'll have you thrown out."

"What's so special about her?"

"That's it." Santana growled. "Milo!"

"Milo? Who the hell is Milo?" Trinity asked. A large black man approached the bar.

"What's up San?" he asked. Rachel smiled up at him. "Hey Rach. How's it going? My wife and I saw your play last week. You were amazing."

"Thanks Milo. It means a lot that you and Danielle came to support me."

"We're just waiting for you to show up on Broadway. Now, what's up?" he asked, looking at the Latina.

"I need you to escort... No you can just go ahead and throw her ass out on the street." Santana said, pointing at Trinity.

"What'd she do?" Milo asked.

"Pissed me off." Santana said. Milo raised an eyebrow. "She hit on me and then insulted Rachel. Just get her out of here, please."

"Fine. Come on." he said, walking away. Rachel shook her head in amusement.

"Not a word, little girl." Santana said, smirking.

* * *

><p><em>"Rachel, I have to tell you something." Santana whispered as they laid down on her bed. Rachel was spending the night at her apartment for the sixth night in a row, not that either woman was complaining.<em>

_"What's wrong San?"_

_"Nothing's wrong, I just... I love you Rachel. I love you so much." Santana said, looking in her girlfriend's eyes. _

_"I love you too." Rachel whispered, kissing the Latina. Santana blushed. _

_"Do you want to move in with me?" she asked. Rachel smiled._

_"I would love to, San, but there isn't enough room in either of our apartments for both of us to live together._

_"Then we'll find a bigger place. We spend all of our free time together." Santana pointed out. Rachel smiled and nodded._

_"We'll look for a place." she said._

* * *

><p>"Home sweet home." Santana said softly. Rachel nodded slowly. "You'll be okay, Rachel. I'll be here to protect you." the Latina said, kissing the diva softly and slowly.<p>

"I love you, Santana." Rachel whispered against her lips.

"I love you too, Rachel."


	4. Chapter 4

Rachel opened the door to see Puck and Mike on the other side. "What are you two doing here?"

"I called them." Santana explained as she walked into the hallway, getting ready to leave for work.

"Why?"

"Rachel, you came to the club to because you were too afraid to stay at home by yourself." Santana said. Rachel sighed.

"So what? They're baby sitting me?" Rachel asked. Santana shook her head.

"They're hanging outwith you. Big difference. You can't come hang out at the club every night." she said.

"Why?" Rachel asked. Santana smiled slightly.

"Too distracting." she said, grabbing her jacket from the hall closet and putting it on. "Now, I already ordered food for you guys. I'll see you when I get home. Have fun, I love you." she said, walking out.

* * *

><p>"Did you have fun?" Santana asked when she got home. Rachel nodded. "Did you feel safe?"<p>

"Yes. Thank you for doing that for me, Santana." Rachel whispered. Santana hugged her girlfriend.

"I'd do anything for you, Rachel."

"I'd do anything for you too." Rachel said. Santana smiled. "We're gonna be together for the rest of our lives, aren't we?"

"If things go my way, definitely." Santana said. Rachel grinned. "And I always get my way." she whispered in her girlfriend's ear. Rachel blushed.

"Love you."

"Love you too."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry its short, just trying to get back into this story!**


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